


Nonstop

by orphan_account



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Blood, Bruises, Illegal Activities, Lots of Violence obviously, M/M, Slow Burn, Swearing, Underground Fight Club, based on bare-knuckle fighting rules, it gets kinda dark at points i will say, largely based on punch, like super slow, will add more tags as it develops
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-24
Updated: 2020-07-09
Packaged: 2021-03-03 02:28:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,719
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24357340
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Mark wasn't sure what to expect when he first stepped into the ring, but a life full of love, anger, and bloody knuckles wasn’t high on the list.Welcome To: The Neo Zone
Relationships: Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Mark Lee
Kudos: 8





	1. Hesitant

**Author's Note:**

> So this is my first large(r) work, I hope you enjoy!

Mark had always felt out of place. He never knew what to do with his life, having no motivation or passion for anything. He struggled to get by in school due to this, and spent most of his time working multiple jobs to provide for himself. Mark was only 17 when he started going to the local gym near his school, and it didn’t take him long to fall in love with the feeling of lifting weights. After school every day he would head to the gym to burn off the stress of his current, pretty shitty, life. He soon grew to love the place like a second home, bouncing from machine to machine and learned to grow his strength in every way. He began to know every face, and then soon after knew the name of every regular and newcomer alike. But after a few years, Mark had become slightly bored with the repetition of lifting and offhandedly mentioned to the owners about his problem, not thinking anything of it at the time.

Around a week or so later, a new guy appeared at the gym, constantly coming in cut up and bruised. Mark would sneak a few curious glances every time he came in, appreciating the grace in which the, very tall, guy lifted. After a few more days, the tall guy entered looking worse than he had ever looked, and Mark couldn’t help but stare intently as he set up next to him, worried about the slight look of pain that remained on his face, intensifying every time he moved. Mark saw what looked like blood drip from his nose and heard him swear under his breath after he wiped it away. The guy looked up, locking eyes with Mark’s widened ones before he could look away.

“Shit, how bad do I look today?” The guy asked from the bench beside him, sitting down with what sounded like a light noise of pain.

“Honestly? Worse than usual- not that I look or anything” Mark answered honestly but hurried to clarify.

“Nah, I’d understand if you looked, I probably look like shit most of the time.” The guy said with a bright smile, wincing at the movement due to a cut on his lip.

“So, do you fight or something?” Mark asked after a moment of setting up his weights.

“Yea… or something.” he replied slightly cryptically, standing up to walk away for a moment, and Mark instantly regrets asking.

“Wait,” he hears the guy say, “I heard from the owner about how you want to try something new, is that right?” The guy said over his shoulder, before spinning around.

“Say kid, do you know how to throw a punch?” He asked, the look on his face one of almost wonder, so much so that Mark was taken aback.

“Uh… no not at all” he replied sheepishly, feeling as if he let down this tall stranger.

“Damn, that would have been pretty cool if you did.” He chuckled, turning back around to keep walking.

“But I can learn,” Mark quickly said before the guy could get too far away.

“Oh?” He questioned, turning around again, but this time walking back as if he expected Mark to continue.

”I mean I did say I wanted to try something new, why not boxing” Mark went on, not too sure where he was going with this.

”Well kid, I don’t exactly box in the way you’re thinking. No red gloves or anything.” He said, dropping his voice to a whisper, barely intelligible above the sounds of weights clanging and music blasting. “It’s called bare-knuckle boxing”. 

”So... street fighting?” Mark whispered back, not following the difference.

”Oh god no, we aren’t barbarians. We have specific rules.” The guy said. “But, we’re very selective, and it’s underground. It’s not exactly legal, so I’m not too sure why I’m telling you this but... I feel like you’re pretty trustworthy.”

Mark chuckled. ”Bold of you to trust a random kid you just met. But I’m 20, by the way.” He said, standing a little straighter at the last part.

”Huh, oh I call everyone kid. But now that we’re on that topic, what’s your name? I always see you here lifting, you seem pretty dedicated.”

”Oh uh, my name’s Minhyung- but I go more by Mark now.” He said, suddenly nervous about the conversation being about him. He may be all muscle now, but he’s still the shy kid he used to be on the inside.

”Okay Mark, how about I let you in on something. We’re looking for a new fighter after our last one had to drop out.” The other said, leaning in.

”What if I could make you a world class fighter?” He finished with a grin.

Mark stared at him for a while, before busting out into a fit of laughter. ”That’s hilarious” he managed out, wiping tears from his eyes. Mark finally calmed his breath after a moment. “Why would you want a random 20 year old to join your little fighting club when he has never thrown a punch in his life, much less knew how to compete in a match.” The guy was just staring at him with a small smile still on his face.

”Well, you’ll fit right in with the rest of us, I can already tell.” He said, still smiling. “And I just have a feeling about you. How about this, you come with me soon and meet a few of the other guys, maybe watch a practice or two, and you can see if you want to learn.” He finished, sitting back up. 

”And would I end up bruised and cut like you?” Mark retorted, looking skeptically at the state of his face. 

”Well, that’s just the aftermath of the fun, not like it’s permanent.” he responded. “How about I give you my number and you hit me up if you make a decision. If you don’t message me, I’ll take it as a no. If you do, well, we’ll go from there.” He said, taking out his phone.

After a moment of hesitation, Mark pulled out his phone too.  _ I mean there’s no harm in getting it, I’ll just never send a text,  _ he thought to himself. 

After Mark saved the guy’s, Johnny, as he learned his name was, number into his phone, Mark saw Johnny check the time and stand up to leave.

”I hope to hear from you soon Mark, but no pressure!” Johnny said with a wave, while grabbing his things and heading out.

Mark wrapped up his workout, making sure to thank the worker at the desk like usual, but his mind was elsewhere. Flashes of Johnny’s face appeared in his head on his walk home, and his offer kept bouncing around his brain. After he got back to his studio apartment, he slipped off his shoes and went to shower. While letting the stress of the day wash off of him, he stood there and thought about the offer. 

_ I mean there’s no harm in checking it out, I could just see what it’s like and never return.  _ He reasoned with himself, but he had no idea why he was even contemplating the offer. Maybe it was the lack of anything to do with his life after he dropped out of College. Maybe it was the tiredness of working 2 jobs and still making time to lift. Or maybe it was the small, childish part of him who was still obsessed with mystery, and everything about this offer seemed more than it was. Why would a random guy trust another random guy with information about a secret fight club. Something about the whole situation wasn’t sitting right with Mark, and he wanted to find out more. So maybe that’s why after he stepped out of the shower and got dressed for bed, he grabbed his phone. And maybe that’s why he pulled up Johnny’s contact name and composed a quick text saying “I want to learn more- Mark.” And maybe, just maybe, he smiled when he got a text back with a time and location to meet, as well as Johnny saying he was excited. 

_ Something interesting is going to come out of this, I feel it.  _ Mark thought to himself before drifting off to sleep.


	2. Metallic

It was almost 7pm and he had yet to see Johnny. Mark had come to the random location that Johnny had texted him with, which were basically a set of coordinates that placed him in front of what looked like an abandoned building. They were supposed to meet at 6:45 that evening, and Mark had no idea why Johnny chose that odd time. Maybe he had something else going on before then, but all Mark knew was that he was getting cold. 

“Shit Mark, sorry that I'm late. I should have texted but I thought I would be here by now.” He heard Johnny’s voice come from behind, slightly startling him. Mark turned around and saw that Johnny looked a bit better than before, his smile even wider now that it wasn’t obstructed by cuts and bruises.

“I was pretty surprised when you sent me that text, I thought I had scared you off with how busted up I looked that day.” Johnny said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck as he approached.

“I was pretty surprised I messaged too, you know I’m not too sure why I did either but here I am.” Mark responded, taking in their surroundings- or lack thereof. They were in what looked like a run down area, with multiple buildings a few stories each. They all looked worn out, and Mark wondered if anyone inhabited them. “Where exactly are we?” He asked after a moment, gesturing around them. 

“Well, this is our main warehouse, it’s where we train most of the time. Here, follow me.” Johnny explained before gesturing for Mark to come to where he had walked over to, it was a small door that looked like it hadn’t been opened for years. But Johnny simply placed a hand on it and pushed it aside with ease, causing Mark to speculate that it was more meant to look that way. Johnny ducked under the doorway, pushing aside flaps of plastic and stepped into the warehouse. Mark followed him, making sure to not hit his head as he entered. The first thing Mark saw was a guy who looked to be around his age jumping around a large hanging punching bag, his body bouncing lightly as he hopped on the balls of his feet. When Mark straightened up, he took in his other senses. The sound of metal hitting the ground was coming from a pair of guys lifting weights in a corner, while sharp laughter filled the other half of the warehouse as a group of even younger looking guys joked amongst themselves. The air smelled thickly of sweat, cologne, and the slight metallic undertone of blood, causing Mark to feel dizzy for a moment.

Johnny let Mark take in everything, placing a hand on his shoulder as he grandly gestured around them. “Mark, welcome to Neo Zone.”

Mark was soon whisked away towards the other side of the warehouse, Johnny almost pulling him to a group of two guys. One was slightly shorter than Johnny, and had a light cotton candy pink head of hair. He stood straight, arms crossed in what looked like a slightly heated conversation between him and the other. The guy was much shorter than the two, and from what Mark could tell was even shorter than him. 

“Taeyong, Taeil, whatever this is can wait a minute. This was the kid I was telling you about!” Johnny said, shoving Mark forward to form a small circle with the four of them. Mark was beginning to think Johnny sees him as a ragdoll with how much he keeps dragging him around, but he straightened up and introduced himself.

“Hello, I’m Mark Lee, nice to meet you sirs.” Mark said, slightly nodding his head at the pair. His introduction was followed with silence, then he heard a hearty chuckle erupt from the pink haired guy’s chest.

“Johnny who is this kid and why did he call us Sir.” He laughed. “I’m not that old, kid.” He said, looking Mark straight in the eye before gesturing to the other guy, “Taeil here, now he might be.” He said before cracking another wide smile towards Mark. “Nice to meet you Mark, I’m Taeyong. I’m the lea-” Taeyong started, reaching out to shake hands before he was interrupted by the other two.

“Now I know you aren’t saying-” Johnny said, while Taeil began with “There are three of u-” Them talking over each other led to them stopping all at once, then bursting out into laughter leaving a very confused Mark to just watch.

“Ignore them.” Johnny said, “we’re all the leaders of the club, despite what we all might say.” he finished, putting his arms around the two. “Anyways, Mark here wants to learn how to fight.”

“What no, I just wanted to see what it’s like, you know to get a feel for it haha.” Mark sputtered out, stumbling over his words to quickly clarify the reasoning for being here.

Johnny looked at him understandingly, “Yea, we’ll see about that. I have a feeling you’ll be back after today.” he smirked, throwing his arm around Mark too. After a few more moments of talking, Mark relaxed. Johnny must have noticed the tension leave his shoulders, because he shot him a quick smile during a lapse in conversation.

“Say, you up for watching a few sparring matches?” Johnny said to the other two, “I feel like that’s the best way to show Mark what we do here.”

“I’ll round some people up, I know Jaehyun was itching for a fight earlier today.” Taeyong said with a smile before turning to head to a small group that had formed across from them, each taking turns to glance at what Mark guessed was him. He suddenly felt very out of place, but Taeil gave him a reassuring smile when he saw the worry cross Mark’s face.

After Taeyong got a few people together, Johnny led him to a basement level of the warehouse where Mark saw a makeshift ring set up in the middle, surrounded by a large amount of chairs. Mark saw what looked like two teenagers step up on opposite sides of the ring, all smiles towards each other.

“That’s our youngest two, Chenle and Jisung.” Johnny said, pointing to the ring. “They’re part of the reason what we do is so illegal, we have minors on our team.” Mark opened his mouth to ask how that was even remotely okay, but Johnny stopped him before he could speak. “For some of us, fighting is all that we have. We never want to take that away from someone.” He said, tone growing serious. Mark nodded, attention being drawn back to the ring when he heard someone speak.

“Jisung, make sure to keep your eyes on me~” A dark haired boy taunted from one side, his fists and lower arms wrapped with white strips. He bounced the same way the guy from earlier did, as if he was only landing on the balls of his feet, and Mark wondered if that was a technique. Mark waited for the other boy to respond, but he didn’t. Another tall guy stood in the middle, holding his hands up to either side. As soon as he said two words, “Knuckle Up” the other boy, Jisung, responded.

“I always keep my eyes on you Chenle!” He said, voice deeper than Mark expected but still carried a childlike lilt to it. Mark saw Chenle flush from outside of the ring, momentarily distracted which gave Jisung enough time to cross the stage to give the first hit, but Chenle was faster and was able to dodge away from his fist. The two danced across the stage, almost like a tango. They traded blows, and Mark began to pick up on what he guessed was some of the rules. He never saw either of them open their fists, all of their strikes being closed. He also observed that the two only used hands, never straying to using elbows or their legs. Mark focused on the attitudes of the two, and they seemed like they were playing a game. They would draw close to each other, sticking out a tongue or make another taunting remark, before flitting back and pulling up their fists to fight again. The spar ended when Chenle made a comment close to the other's ear that seemingly flustered Jisung so much that he lost his composure, allowing the other to knock him down. Jisung laid there for a moment, and Mark thought he was crying from the way his shoulders were shaking.  _ Damn, this is more intense than I thought… _ Mark began to think to himself before the sound of laughter filled the air, and he realized that it was Jisung, now coming to his feet and laughing like a kid.

“Wow, you played dirty today.” Jisung said, grabbing Chenle into a hug, while walking out of the ring. Mark sighed out of relief, and turned to Johnny to comment on the match but saw an indistinguishable look cross his face. He watched two new people step into the ring, and the air became noticeably tense. 

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Johnny mumbled to Taeyong, who had sat down on the other side of him.

“I want Mark to see it’s not all fun and games, he needs to see how intense it can get.” Taeyong responded, leaning back in his seat.

“If this goes bad, just know I said so.” Taeil chimed in from behind, voice foreboding.

Mark turned to Johnny, a questioning look on his face. “Who are those two, and why will this be intense?” He asked, but Johnny just waved his question away and told him to pay close attention.

He watched a tall guy with dark blue hair step up, cracking his neck and rolling his shoulders. He was wearing a sleeveless shirt, his arms lined with tattoos wrapping around his biceps. He looked forward with an unwavering stare, ignoring the whispers and the few people stepping up to watch. On the opposite side, a shorter guy with dark purple hair stood, glaring at his opponent. He watched the match start, and the atmosphere was instantly different. Their movements were calculated, tactical. They fought like their lives depended on it, each punch landed forcefully, causing Mark to wince. The purple haired boy moved across the stage grounded, but gracefully. His hair bounced around his face, sides sticking to his temples as his tanned skin dripped with sweat. The spar lasted much longer than Chenle and Jisung’s, this one building with intensity as time went on. Mark felt his watch alarm go off, but he couldn’t hear it over the sound of skin hitting skin. He was entranced, staring with his mouth slightly open as he watched two people fight as if they were mortal enemies, but still keeping within the rules. Mark then heard mumbling, but he couldn't place where it was coming from. After straining to listen more, he glanced up at their faces and saw that they were talking to each other in hushed tones, no one able to make out what they were saying. After what looked like a particularly bad hit onto the purple haired boy that caused him to stagger, Taeyong stood up and called the match. “Jaehyun, stop.” He said, and the blue haired one, Jaehyun, Mark guesses, turns around for a moment with no emotion on his face. “Haechan you need to step out,” Taeyong continued, about to step into the ring before Haechan put his hand up.

“Fuck off Taeyong, I’m fine” The purple haired boy said before he stood up straight, trying to regain his balance. Taeyong stared for a moment, seemingly unsure of what to do but finally waved his hand with a sigh, signalling the match to start back.

This time, Haechan seemed to become more intense with every swing, swooping under Jaehyun’s arms as he threw punches and blocking more securely. Mark was amazed at their fluid motions, almost snake-like as they slithered around each other.

After a few moments, Haechan looked up and locked eyes with Mark, suddenly leaving Mark feeling exposed and vulnerable. He watched an expression cross Haechan’s face, but it quickly disappeared when Jaehyun took advantage of Haechan’s distraction and hit him square in the chest, knocking the wind out of him and sending him to the ground. Johnny sprung up, walking forward to the ring as Mark watched Jaehyun smirk and walk out of it. Haechan laid there for a while as a guy glanced over him and inspected his face, but Haechan shoved him away and sat up, locking eyes with Mark again. He felt his blood run cold at the look of pure anger appeared across his face for a brief moment before he stood up and walked away in the opposite direction.

Mark had been so entranced in watching the fight that he had forgotten to keep an eye on his watch, doing a double take at it when he saw the time. He shot up, quickly walking over to Johnny and bidding him goodbye, promising to text him when he wanted to come back which earned a smile from the otherwise distracted three leaders. Mark waved to them as he left, ducking under the doorway heading outside of the warehouse. When he stepped out, he saw Haechan leaning up against the side smoking. He took a long drag of the cigarette in his hand, glancing up at Mark as he passed but quickly turned his head to look out in the distance. Mark wanted to say something but he had a feeling the boy had something against him after the look he had given him in the ring, so he just kept walking towards his car, sliding into the seat and driving off while giving one final glance at the boy in his rear view mirror.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for taking so long to update, things have been a mess recently but I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I'm hoping the next ones are longer tho!


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